November 29, Acts 17
Candidates used to give the same speech from memory at every stop on the campaign trail. Now they need teleprompters to read what their speech writers have written for today, since the 24-hour news networks have already reported every word they said yesterday.
Some well-known preachers deliver the same sermon many times in many places, reciting their material word-for-word. Paul’s core message was always the same: “Jesus, crucified and raised from the dead, is the Christ.” But Paul was a master of starting where the audience was, and bringing them to where he wanted them to be in their thinking. At the synagogue, the audience already believed in God and respected the Scriptures as God’s word. So there, Paul reasoned, explained and proved that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the
promises and prophecies about Messiah.
But with a marketplace audience of polytheistic pagans, Paul rewound the story all the way to Genesis, telling how the one God they did not know was creator and sustainer of everything. Then he would get to the main theme. In synagogues and market places, the conclusion was always the same, always Jesus.
In one of his letters, Paul explained that he became all things to all people in order to win them to Christ. Paul started his campaigns in the Jewish synagogue in cities where there were enough Jews for one to exist. But he also interacted with the mainstream Gentile culture of the places he visited. His methods suggest some principles we should remember about
obeying the Lord’s command to make disciples.
When Paul addressed the philosophers in Athens, he had seen their city full of idols. He knew their reputation for curiosity. So when they brought him from the marketplace where they had met to the Areopagus to hear him speak, Paul knew where to begin.
He addressed them with courtesy, commenting on their proclivity for religion. Paul found inroads to their thinking in their contemporary culture. He noted the altar to the unknown god, and quoted their literature to illustrate how God knows and is near us. He explained the idea of one God to the polytheists, describing who God was and what God had done. As you would expect, Paul closed by talking about Jesus and the resurrection.
How about our outreach efforts? Do we ever go “outside” where “outsiders” might see or hear us? Are we interesting enough to get their attention? Are we courteous and respectful? Do we know enough about contemporary culture to connect with people in it by referring to it in our presentations? Do we have the courage of our convictions to stand for “the Way, the Truth and the Life” in a pluralistic society? Do listeners discern that our message is centered in Christ?
The results in Athens were mixed. Some people mocked the message. Some wanted to hear it again. Some became believers. We’ll probably get the same responses from our efforts to share Christ in our culture.
From The Abiding Companion: A Friendly Guide for Your Journey Through the New Testament,
Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—November 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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